What Is Super Tuscan Wine, and Where Can You Taste It from Florence?

Why you never see the words on a bottle

Italy does not recognize the term Super Tuscan on labels. Defined wines such as Brunello di Montalcino follow strict rules on grapes, origin and ageing, while Super Tuscan has no fixed meaning. The wines pushed regulators to create the IGT category.

For you as a taster this matters in one practical way. On a wine tour, ask the winemaker what is in the glass and why. The answer is often the best story of the day.

What to ask at the winery

Brunello di Montalcino must age at least two years in oak and 4 months in bottle, and it cannot be released before 1 January of the year after the fifth year from harvest. Chianti Classico needs at least 80% Sangiovese. A Super Tuscan has no such rule.

On a tasting day, ask which wines in the glass follow a rulebook and which step outside it, and why the estate made that choice. On the Tuscan wineries tour with lunch both sides are poured: Chianti Classico, Riserva and Super Tuscans.

How the rebels changed the law

Chianti DOC once required 50-80% Sangiovese plus white grapes such as Trebbiano Toscano or Malvasia, so the wines could not be 100% Sangiovese. Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon at Bolgheri in 1944, and the first commercial Sassicaia, the 1968 vintage, came out in 1971. Antinori created the modern Tignanello in 1975 as 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The pressure from these wines pushed regulators to create the IGT category. In Chianti itself the rules also moved on. Chianti Classico today must contain a minimum of 80 percent Sangiovese with a maximum of 20 percent other red varieties, and since 2006 it can be made exclusively with red grapes. On the Tuscan wineries tour with lunch you taste the appellation wine and the free blend at the same estates.

What can you actually taste near Florence

The famous labels are rarely what a tasting day pours. The Super Tuscans you taste from Florence are the estates' own: the Tuscan wineries tour with lunch pours Super Tuscans with Chianti Classico and Riserva at each of 3 wineries on the lunch option, and the San Gimignano wine tour pours up to 8 wines including Super Tuscans at 2 wineries. Tasting a rule-following Sangiovese and a free blend from the same cellar shows the difference better than the famous labels.

One critic, one nickname

The name Super Tuscan was invented by Robert Parker, and Italy does not recognize the term on labels. The rebellion it describes dates from the 1960s and 70s, when estates blended Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with Sangiovese and their wines were dismissed as vino da tavola.

For your own trip this is freeing. Ask what the estate bottles outside the Chianti rules, taste it next to the appellation wine, and decide which you prefer. The San Gimignano wine tour pours up to 8 wines, among them Chianti, Super Tuscans and Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

What it resembles

A Super Tuscan usually starts from Sangiovese, the grape of Chianti Classico and Brunello, with Cabernet, Merlot or Syrah added. Some leave Sangiovese out: Trinoro Le Cupole is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot with rich black cherry notes.

If your reference point is Chianti, taste a Chianti Classico first, then the estate's Super Tuscan. Chianti Classico needs at least 80% Sangiovese, so the contrast shows what the international grapes add.

Tours that pour Super Tuscans

The table compares the tours from Florence whose listings name Super Tuscans in the tasting, with prices, length and food from the listings. Both carry free cancellation 24 hours ahead and neither includes hotel pickup on its standard option.

Driving yourself?

Renting a car works, but know two things. Historic city centres often require a pass and you will be fined if you drive past a ZTL sign without one, and car hire companies may set a higher minimum age or require an International Driving Permit. A guided tour removes both problems, and everyone gets to taste.

Tasting both on one trip

Montalcino sits in the Val d'Orcia, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004. The $82 Val d'Orcia wine tour from Florence runs 11.5 hours and pours Brunello di Montalcino at a small local winery and Vino Nobile at a historic Montepulciano winery, with no lunch included. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano must be at least 70 percent Sangiovese, with its Riserva aged at least three years.

That is a third rulebook in one day, and the contrast with a free blend shows how the Tuscan system works.

Taking bottles home

US Customs and Border Protection allows one American liter, 33.8 fluid ounces, of alcohol in the returning resident personal exemption if you are at least 21 and it is for personal use. Amounts above that liter are dutiable, and some states allow more than one liter while CBP enforces stricter state alcohol laws. Pack bottles in checked luggage, because TSA allows carry-on liquids only in containers of 3.4 ounces or less.

A three-line shortlist

First, read up on Sassicaia, the first Super Tuscan, released commercially in 1971. Second, look for Tignanello, the 1975 Antinori blend of 80 percent Sangiovese and 20 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, which shows the Sangiovese-led side of the style. Third, taste an estate's own Super Tuscan next to its Chianti Classico.

On the Tuscan wineries tour with lunch or the San Gimignano wine tour, ask the host to pour the appellation wine and the free blend side by side. That single request turns a standard tasting into a lesson in what Super Tuscan wine means.

Harvest and the rest of the year

In Chianti Classico the harvest runs from the first half of September to the second half of October, depending on location and altitude. Visit then to see the cellars at work, and book early because tasting days fill.

Chianti Classico's rules have required red grapes only since 2006, so the white-grape era that set off the Super Tuscan rebellion is over in the zone. Food depends on the tour: the Tuscan wineries tour with lunch includes a light lunch, while the San Gimignano wine tour serves snacks and no lunch, so eat before it.